Due to the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, many localities had to allow students to leave school to ensure epidemic prevention and control. Therefore, the online learning and teaching via television, is a necessary solution to help students to not "forget" their knowledge, maintain their study habits and ensure efficiency and fairness in accessing education and learning conditions among students in different regions.
Temporarily stopping going to school without halting study’s.
At first, due to the lack of preparation, online teaching was not effective. However, on March 30, 2021, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) issued regulations on the management and organisation of online teaching. The educational sector and the localities reviewed and created statistics on the number of students who did not have devices and supplies for online studying in regards to timely support. The MoET worked closely with the Ministry of Information and Communications to launch the programme entitled “Internet and computers for students” to mobilise the enterprises and benefactors to donate online learning resources for students who are living in difficult circumstances. By October 30, telecommunications groups built 283 more hotspots in the localities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisations and units committed to donate 1,000,840 computers for students. In addition, the sector mobilised 142.43 billion VND, 28,477 tablets, 28,545 smartphones and 79,425 other devices.
The MoET has developed and selected suitable lecture systems in line with subjects and grade levels as well as coordinated with television stations to produce and broadcast lessons. In particular, for grades 1 and 2, the teachings via television were conducted in three subjects, including Vietnamese, Mathematics and English. In addition, the lessons for grade 6 were developed under the new general education curriculum. An online teaching support section was built via the portal of the MoET, to link digital learning resources, electronic lessons and information guiding the selection of online teaching software.
The building of a Digital Data Warehouse for the whole educational sector has been accelerated, contributing to the Vietnamese digitised knowledge system with nearly 5,000 e-learning lessons, over 2,000 lectures via television, over 7,500 doctoral theses, and nearly 30,000 sets of multiple-choice questions. The Ministry is coordinating with the executive board of the Vietnamese digitised knowledge system project and the enterprises to continue developing digital learning materials including digitised textbooks, e-lessons, video lectures and simulation software, contributing to adapting and improving the quality of teaching and learning at all levels.
Completing the special high school graduation exam
Notably, in 2021, on the basis of assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the educational sector decided to organise the high school graduation exam in two phases. Accordingly, the first phase was held from July 6-9 and the second took place on August 5-7. This was the first time the exam was held in two phases throughout many provinces and cities due to the complicated development of COVID-19. The exam has received the support from the whole educational sector and the consensus of the whole political system. The localities made timely solutions to ensure the safety and efficiency of the exam, especially the handling of candidates infected by COVID-19.
As a result, the high school graduation exam in 2021 was successfully held, ensuring objectivity, seriousness, fairness and safety, amid the complicated and unpredictable developments of the pandemic. The graduation rate nationwide was 98.41 percent. The basic statistics did not change much compared to 2020. The exam questions closely followed the standards of knowledge and skills, suitable for teaching conditions in the period of COVID-19 prevention and control.
The MoET has announced a plan for the high school graduation, university and college admission exams in 2022, towards stabilising the organisation method of exams and enrolment in 2020 and 2021. The Ministry developed a project for high school graduation exams, university and college admissions during the 2023-2025 period in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic may be prolonged for many years.
The focus of digital transformation
Under the heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2021 proved that the education and training sector still faced many difficulties. In particular, the online teaching and learning was conducted via free applications but the internet connection was unstable in many places, so the quality of teaching and learning was not very high, especially in remote areas. The online learning for primary students, especially for grades 1 and 2, is more difficult. The number of mobilised computers has only met 46.1% of the total needs for students with difficult circumstances. Notably, due to COVID-19, preschool children have had to stay at home for a long period of time, so their behaviours and habits may have been affected. The quality of human resource training, especially high-quality human resources, is still limited, failing to meet the requirements of socio-economic development; The structure of training professions has not closely followed the needs of the labour market, especially workers in the new digital economy. The practice sections of many curricula were changed to suit the epidemic situation.
According to Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, the sector will promote the measures to strengthen the quality of general education towards flexible adaptation and recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially, the education of knowledge, skills, capacity and cultural qualities for students will be promoted. The whole sector will focus on comprehensive digital transformation of education and training, overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic, and reduce disparities and inequalities in education among regions and groups.
